'CSI' gives the public the wrong idea, DA says

By Paul PurpuraThe New Orleans Times-Picayune

WEST BANK, La. — Television crime dramas such as "CSI," in which flashy technicians solve cases using high-tech lasers, have given the public unrealistic views of how evidence is gathered and presented at trials, Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. said.

As a result, prosecutors are trained to seek out the "CSI" believers during jury selection and excuse them from serving on the panels during criminal trials, Connick said.